I'm in Austin!

So what now?

We got in at 2:30 this morning and my dog kept us up the rest of the night. For the most part, things have gone smoothly, with the exception of my dog's prey instinct kicking in (long story). I'm sad to leave my family, but excited to be here. I start my job tomorrow. I kinda wish I had a couple of days to get settled in... oh well.

We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.

Originally Posted by making

Please dont outsmart the censor. That is a very expensive censor and every time one of you guys outsmart it it makes someone at the home office feel bad. We dont wanna do that. So dont cleverly disguise bad words.

I think the wild flowers are pretty much done but you might find a few bluebonnets and indian paintbrushes here and there. Iron works brisket, Barton Springs, a drive up to Lukenbach, and check out the 3-5 million bats in the bridge downtown will get you started. After that, there are a bazillion more things to do just be advised it will get hot in the very near future. Welcome to Texas.

Flying a jet is no different than riding a bicycle. It's just a lot harder to put baseball cards in the spokes.

I haven't been to Austin in about 20 years, but the last time I was there I saw Stevie Ray Vaughn, the Fabulous T-Birds and Bonnie Raitt at an intimate venue; the ultimate Austin experience, highly recommended. Oh hold it, SRV's dead, I don't know what else there is. How about: (1) Invite Michael Dell to lunch; (2) Be proud of your immigrant status and show disdain for all things "Longhorn" whenever you can.

Oh, I remember going to this cool multi-level restaurant overlooking some big lake west of Austin, but it might be just a tourist destination and not where the "cool" people go.

We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.

Originally Posted by making

Please dont outsmart the censor. That is a very expensive censor and every time one of you guys outsmart it it makes someone at the home office feel bad. We dont wanna do that. So dont cleverly disguise bad words.

1: Get used to the late night eateries. Kerbey, Magnolia, and Starseeds. For starters, I'd try Kerbey North (183, south of Spicewood), and Magnolia on Lake Austin road.

2: What is your genre of music? Emos and Elysium cover rock/goth/alternative/industrial. If country, Tejano, or hip-hop are your thing, clubs aplenty for that.

3: If you bicycle, anywhere around the UT campus or downtown are hotspots for bike theft. Lock that sucker down and to something sturdy. UT police have improved lots in driving off bike theft [1], but outside streets like Guadalupe, be really careful. Use two locks.

4: Guadalupe is pronounced "Guad-a-loop". Burnet Road is pronounced "Burn-it". Loop 1 is also called Mopac.

5: Beware the I-35 bridge near UT. Its a wreck hotspot, and usually at a standstill most of the time.

6: Barbecue places: The Salt Lick for an out of town trip, the County Line for general stuff, Iron Works, Rib Kings, Ruby's on Guadalupe for organic barbecue.

7: Mother's Cafe -- top notch vegetarian place.

Lots more... if you need any questions about Austin, PM me... if I don't know, I can find out.

[1]: UT requires all bikes on their campus to be registered. No registration and flag hanging off of bike == UTPD taking your bike, and unless you have a receipt or 100% proof of ownership, it may be hard or impossible to get it back.

I haven't been to Austin in about 20 years, but the last time I was there I saw Stevie Ray Vaughn, the Fabulous T-Birds and Bonnie Raitt at an intimate venue; the ultimate Austin experience, highly recommended. Oh hold it, SRV's dead, I don't know what else there is. How about: (1) Invite Michael Dell to lunch; (2) Be proud of your immigrant status and show disdain for all things "Longhorn" whenever you can.

Oh, I remember going to this cool multi-level restaurant overlooking some big lake west of Austin, but it might be just a tourist destination and not where the "cool" people go.

That would be the Oasis. I haven't been to it since lightning struck it and it burned to the ground. They rebuilt it and it looks nice. Great view, but food is just so so and they charge a boat load for drinks. Another great place that not as many people know about is the Iguana Bar and Grill. It's just south of the dam on 620 and has just as good of a view of Lake Travis as the Oasis.